Trump: U.S. has 'no choice' but to deal with North Korea arms challenge

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U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks regarding the Administration's National Security Strategy at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington D.C., U.S. December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump unveiled a new national security strategy on Monday, calling for Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorism and saying Washington had to deal with the challenge posed by North Korea’s weapons programs.

In a wide-ranging speech, Trump said his security strategy for the first time addresses economic security and would include a complete rebuilding of U.S. infrastructure as well as a wall along the southern U.S. border.

Trump said the United States wanted Pakistan to take decisive action to help fight extremism, and that Washington had “no choice” but to deal with the challenge posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

Trump said the security strategy would also end mandatory defense spending limits, frequently called “sequester,” but did not mention if he had consulted with members of Congress about a possible bill to end the caps established in 2013 budget legislation.

“We recognize that weakness is the surest path to conflict and unrivaled power is the most certain means of defense. For this reason, our security strategy breaks from damaging defense sequester,” Trump said. “We’re going to get rid of that.”

Reporting by James Oliphant; Writing by David Alexander and Katanga Johnson; Editing by Lisa Lambert